Cape Range
🇦🇺 Australia
🐢 Australia's Finest Green Turtle NestingCape Range is a rugged limestone peninsula in Western Australia where ancient desert gorges drop down to the arid coastal scrubland of the Northwest Cape. Deep within this sun-baked landscape, dry rocky ranges provide a stark habitat sharply contrasted by the turquoise waters of the nearby Indian Ocean.
-22.073° S 113.966° E
Wildlife
⭐ Iconic Species
★ Black-flanked Rock-wallaby
Petrogale lateralis
★ Green Turtle
Chelonia mydas
★ Humpback Whale
Megaptera novaeangliae
📊 Most Spotted
Silver Gull
Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae
Pied Butcherbird
Cracticus nigrogularis
Black Flying-fox
Pteropus alecto
Pacific Reef Heron
Egretta sacra
Singing Honeyeater
Gavicalis virescens
Eastern Osprey
Pandion cristatus
Australian Kestrel
Falco cenchroides
Great Egret
Ardea alba
Western Bowerbird
Chlamydera guttata
Osprey
Pandion haliaetus
Wallaroo
Macropus robustus
Crested Pigeon
Ocyphaps lophotes
⭐ Iconic Species
★ Black-flanked Rock-wallaby
Petrogale lateralis
★ Humpback Whale
Megaptera novaeangliae
📊 Most Spotted
Black Flying-fox
Pteropus alecto
Wallaroo
Macropus robustus
Dugong
Dugong dugon
Fat-tailed False Antechinus
Pseudantechinus macdonnellensis
Stripe-faced Dunnart
Sminthopsis macroura
Australian Humpback Dolphin
Sousa sahulensis
Killer Whale
Orcinus orca
Spinifex Hopping Mouse
Notomys alexis
Little Red Flying Fox
Pteropus scapulatus
Lesser Hairy-footed Dunnart
Sminthopsis youngsoni
Short-beaked Echidna
Tachyglossus aculeatus
Minke Whale
Balaenoptera acutorostrata
📊 Most Spotted
Silver Gull
Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae
Pied Butcherbird
Cracticus nigrogularis
Pacific Reef Heron
Egretta sacra
Singing Honeyeater
Gavicalis virescens
Eastern Osprey
Pandion cristatus
Australian Kestrel
Falco cenchroides
Great Egret
Ardea alba
Western Bowerbird
Chlamydera guttata
Osprey
Pandion haliaetus
Crested Pigeon
Ocyphaps lophotes
White-winged Fairywren
Malurus leucopterus
White-faced Heron
Egretta novaehollandiae
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Children's Python
Antaresia childreni
Pilbara Death Adder
Acanthophis wellsi
Northern Spiny-tailed Gecko
Strophurus ciliaris
Long-nosed Water Dragon
Gowidon longirostris
Mulga Snake
Pseudechis australis
Gould's Goanna
Varanus gouldii
Lined Firetail Skink
Morethia ruficauda
Dwarf Bearded Dragon
Pogona minor
Hawksbill
Eretmochelys imbricata
Common Prickly Gecko
Heteronotia binoei
North-west Cape Gehyra
Gehyra capensis
Pygmy Python
Antaresia perthensis
Animal Events
1Humpback Whale Coastal Migration
During these months, migrating Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) travel past the coastline, frequently breaching and nursing their calves in the sheltered waters.
2Green Turtle Nesting Season
Green Turtles (Chelonia mydas) actively congregate along the beaches of the Cape Range coastline to nest and forage in the shallow seagrass and algal beds.
3Crested Tern and Seabird Breeding Peaks
Coastal areas experience heightened seabird activity as species like Thalasseus bergii gather in large numbers to feed in the productive waters along the reef.
Sighting Calendar
Average chance of spotting the park's most-spotted species, month by month
- 1Humpback Whale Coastal Migration
- 2Green Turtle Nesting Season
- 3Crested Tern and Seabird Breeding Peaks
Sighting Zones
Warm areas are where all species together are recorded most, so they track where people go as much as where animals are. For one species, see the map on its own page.
Where Wildlife Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife?Biodiversity
GoodHow rich is the wildlife?
Sighting
Very goodHow likely to see animals?
Quick answers
What animals can you see in Cape Range?
The most likely sightings are Black-flanked Rock-wallaby (seen by about 90% of wildlife watchers), Green Turtle (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), Silver Gull (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers), Pied Butcherbird (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers), Black Flying-fox (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers) — among 519 recorded vertebrate species, based on citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to visit Cape Range for wildlife?
May has the highest combined sighting rate for the park's top species in our month-by-month GBIF data. The full sighting calendar on this page shows each species' best months.
Can you see Black-flanked Rock-wallaby in Cape Range?
Yes — about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Black-flanked Rock-wallaby sighting in Cape Range, based on 271 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Green Turtle in Cape Range?
Yes — about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Green Turtle sighting in Cape Range, based on 117 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Humpback Whale in Cape Range?
Yes — about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Humpback Whale sighting in Cape Range, based on 17 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
